Frequently Asked Questions

We are out-of-network providers, which means our therapists will not show up on a list of "in-network providers" for any major insurance plan.

The good news - if your insurance plan offers out-of-network benefits, it means they will cover a portion of the cost (sometimes similar to in-network rates) even if you see an out of network therapist.

Many of our patients use their out of network benefits with us. We have partnered with Mentaya - a service that can check what insurance benefits you have for therapy in seconds and provide an estimate. Check here.

Check out the “Being Out of Network Providers” page for more information.

Our postdoctoral fellows are able to provide therapy in a moderate fee range. Our licensed psychologists commit to a small number of sliding scale slots, which you are welcome to ask about but are often filled.

If you are seeking therapy at a significantly reduced cost, we encourage you look into organizations like Open Path Collective or community-based counseling centers connected to universities such as the Dean Hope Center affiliated with Teachers College/Columbia University.

Usually all the information you need is already on the invoices (also called superbills) that we provide.

If you are asked for a CPT code prior to starting therapy, that's a five-digit code for the type of service you are receiving. 90791 is used for the first 60 minute intake session, 90834 is used for 45-minute weekly sessions. If you see your therapist online, include "-95" to your CPT code.

We always offer a free 15-minute video consultation with your therapist prior to scheduling a first session!

We encourage you to share what brings you to therapy or any goals you have. It’s important to us that we’re able to address your concerns effectively since we want therapy to be a truly positive and personally helpful experience for you. If we don’t believe we’re the best fit for your mental health needs, we’re happy to offer you a referral that’s a better option.

You don’t have to ask questions, but we encourage them if you have any. For example, “How would you describe your style or approach to therapy?” and “What does a typical session look like with you?”.

The first session is a 60 minute appointment with your therapist that focuses on getting to know you.

Your therapist will ask a range of question, such as understanding your background and past experiences and areas connected to your mental health (e.g., sleep, work, relationship stress). We’re often curious about past therapy experiences if you have any, so we can build on what worked (and avoid what didn't).

We start with background because it’s important we understand your present-day concerns from a 360 view and in context - trust us, it significantly improves our ability to listen well and effectively help! Depending on each person’s pace, you may get through all the questions we typically ask in one meeting, or you may choose to take your time with your therapist across a few sessions. For us, there is no such thing as unhelpful information!

Yes, if you have a sense of who you’d like to work with, you’re welcome to make that request. If a particular therapist is not accepting new patients or doesn’t have the availability you need, you have the option of joining their waitlist or connecting with a different therapist who we think may also be a good option.

In general, we’ll always match you with the therapist that’s the best fit when it comes to specialties, personality, and availability from the start. All of our therapists have completed doctoral-level training and have been selected to join our practice because they’ve demonstrated a high level of expertise and professionalism.

It depends, we are open to discussing this on a case-by-case basis. Generally we don’t recommend that you work with two therapists long-term, especially if each therapist takes a different approach to the same concern - but we understand there can be unique situations where seeing two therapists for separate reasons can be beneficial.

Depends on you! We find that most of our patients make substantial progress on their initial therapy goals between 4-6 months of weekly sessions, however many patients choose to set new goals or continue working well past that timeframe.

Since we are collaborative and intentional in our approach, how long you work with your therapist will depend on the goals you set. We celebrate our patients’ successes and believe ending therapy because you’ve met your personal goals is a wonderful experience!

No, our team of psychologists only works with adults 18 years old + in New York state.

Yes. Some young adults appreciate support finding a therapist or getting started, especially if it’s their first time or they’re new to the city. We are open to some coordination with you as the parent during the initial process, but we will encourage your adult child to get involved as soon as possible and speak with us directly.

We have a lot of experience with first-timers in therapy and want your child to feel empowered from the start! Please bear in mind that once therapy begins, all confidentiality and privacy practices are enforced (i.e., we cannot speak to you about their care without consent). As a first step, we encourage your adult child to look over and fill out our New Patient Inquiry Form on our website.

If we don’t have the availability you’re looking for when you reach out or your preferred therapist has a full schedule, you can join our waitlist.

We’re not able to give exact wait times, as that depends on many factors outside of our control. For example, if you have a very limited window of availability for scheduling weekly sessions, it may take longer for your therapist’s schedule and yours to line up. We’ve also noticed that more people tend to seek therapy in the fall and winter months.

If the reasons you’re interested in therapy are time-sensitive or you’re really struggling to manage your mental health by yourself - we’ll encourage you to consider other options and provide you a referral, even if you'd still like to join our waitlist. Your mental health is our greatest priority - and we want you to do what’s best for you.

We follow up with every person that goes onto our waitlist, so you don’t have to check-in (but are welcome to if you’d like a status update or just want to say hello).

Yes! Our therapists do have evening availability and can offer sessions until 9p, Monday-Friday.

No, we don't offer appointments on the weekend at this time.

To honor your time and your therapist’s time, we have a 24-hour advance notice cancellation policy.

If you do not notify your therapist of a need to cancel your session 24 hours before your scheduled session (this includes rescheduling your session to a different time the same week), you will be charged your session fee. This also applies if you do not show to a scheduled appointment. Please bear in mind that some insurance plans do not provide any reimbursement for fees associated with late cancellations or no shows.

We encourage you to speak to your therapist about this and decide on a case by case basis. Sometimes it can be very useful to meet twice a week if you're noticing 45 minutes is not enough time. Sometimes changes in session frequency may reflect a change in your situation (e.g., financial, work schedule) or positive progress in therapy.

We strong recommend starting with weekly therapy in the beginning to get the most out of your sessions and allow your therapist to get to know you. It can be hard to build momentum if your sessions are spaced out.

We offer both options and will do our best to accommodate your preferences depending on your therapist's schedule. Our therapists can offer in-person sessions at our Fifth Avenue office and we offer teletherapy through HIPAA-compliant video platforms.

If for any reason teletherapy doesn’t allow your therapist to work effectively with you, or there are some therapy approaches or skills best implemented in-person, your therapist may recommend that you schedule in-person sessions from time to time. This allows us to provide the highest level of care for you at all times.

The term therapist is generic and can refer to a mental health professional with graduate-level training (either a master’s degree or doctoral degree) - but it’s a term that also gets used in professions other than psychology (e.g., a speech, physical, or massage therapist).

The word counselor is even broader and doesn’t require graduate school (e.g., peer counselor, camp counselor).

Psychologists have completed a doctoral program in psychology (either PhD or PsyD) and possess the highest level of academic training; only doctoral-level therapists can call themselves psychologists in most states. A licensed psychologist in the state of New York has completed several years of graduate level coursework, research, and clinical experience. Upon graduation, they must also work for an additional year or two under supervision before applying for independent licensure. By the time psychologists are fully licensed, they’ve likely completed 6-8 years of training and clinical work.

A psychiatrist has completed medical school (4 years) and a residency program (often 4 years) in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe medication for mental health concerns. While psychiatrists may also be trained to provide psychotherapy, the majority of their training is grounded in the medical model of health and wellness.

Our practice is distinctive in a few ways. We are team of doctoral level therapists - which means that each therapist has completed the highest level of clinical training possible for our field. Every psychologist on the team is well versed on at least one evidence-based therapy approach (if not multiple ones) and committed to multiculturally responsive therapy through ongoing training, consultation, and self-reflection.

We have a mission statement that guides us on a daily basis and a giving initiative we’re passionate about and proud of. As a team, we also have a social justice orientation to mental health care. Some of the practical ways that shows up is we aren’t “blank slates” or carefully neutral as therapists when it comes to being actively anti-oppressive. We don’t emphasize a top-down hierarchy in the therapist-patient relationship and instead focus on collaboration and empowerment. If you're interested in learning more, we encourage you to ask!

Our psychologists have been trained in a number of psychotherapy approaches, many of which are “evidence-based”, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and some that have been around since talk therapy began. An evidence-based therapy means the approach has been tested through research and has proven positive outcomes with patients.

If you are interested in learning more about different types of therapy, check out our Types of Therapy page. We give short descriptions of each of the therapy approaches we offer and how they may show up in a session.

No, psychologists do not hold privileges to prescribe psychiatric medications in the state of New York at this time. However, if you are interested in consulting with a psychiatrist about medication (or making changes to a current regimen), let us know and we can make a referral and help collaborate with your prescriber.

Our views on medication will vary on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes medication can provide tremendous relief and be an untapped resource for your mental health. Sometimes research shows that medication works best with talk therapy, and sometimes we will encourage you to try coping skills first because medication may not be recommended as a first-line response for whatever you’re coming into therapy for (e.g., sleep). We will always collaborate with you and share what we believe is in your best interest according to the latest research.

Hamilton comes to the office with Dr. Loo and stays in her office. He usually sleeps under the couch or in his dog bed.